Welcome to the Field Guide to Everyday Magic Blog Hop! It’s part diary, part portable mood board of inspiring prompts and gorgeous images with loads of pages for you to fill in. And darlings, it's GORGEOUS! I’ve written a special post here as part of the blog hop in the spirit of the Field Guide. I’m also thrilled to host a giveaway of this beautiful publication. Leave your comments below for a chance to win a free copy of the Field Guide. Bella Grace will send the guide the winner separately, but I’ll also tuck some goodies in a package to the winner...just from me to you! Comments will remain open until 10pm Eastern time on Wednesday, August 30, 2017. I’ll choose a random winner and then announce the name in a new post here on August 31th! Good luck and enjoy! This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only, but if you are overseas, you may be eligible to win a digital copy of Bella Gracemagazine

Summer nights are longer, aren't they? Technically, they're not, of course, because the sun sets later. But they feel longer - they stretch out from here to the stars like a picnic blanket.

And that's the summer I love: Those summer nights.

Can I be honest with you? Of course, I can....we're friends, aren't we? I don't like summer days. They're hot and sticky. There's usually no breeze. The movie theaters are crowded, and the air is filled with flying creatures that want to sting or bite. The parking lot gives off a shimmering heat and the icy air conditioning in most buildings gives me a headache. Summer days are overrated.

But summer nights? Oh, baby, those are something different.

Here's a fun little questionnaire I saw on Tory Burch's blog, and I thought I'd adapt it and answer it here.

The best summer parties always have...
Music, something cold to drink, and happen during sunset.

Nighttime food means…
Grilled seafood! Normally wild-caught sockeye salmon served with a side of rice and maybe a fruit salad. No cantaloupe in that fruit salad, though. It can have any berry you want. But never, ever, cantaloupe.

And to drink…
Sangria, sangria, and more sangria. Fruit-infused iced tea is very close second. If I'm staying up late, I'll have a coffee; I'm obsessed with these Stok coffee shots. Have you tried them? Whoa. If you like coffee, you'll love 'em. They're tiny little cups of concentrated coffee. You add them to your coffee (or over ice cream - they are so good over chocolate ice cream!) and it adds a bright little caffeine boost. The package says you should only have 2 a day, so be careful!

Speaking of dessert: ice cream or frozen yogurt…
While I HAVE  driven across town for Pinkberry, and I also have been known to chase down the popsicle cart on Food Truck night, I will always be in love with eating ice cream outside on summer evenings. I am a one-scoop-of-pistachio-on-a-sugar-cone-eaten-barefoot-in-the-grass-while-watching-fireflies kind of girl.

Summer style…
In the sweltering South, natural fabrics are our best friends. This summer, I've worn light-colored loose button-down cotton shirts, the thinnest hoop earrings I could find, lightweight cotton ankle pants, my favorite red lipstick, and these navy espadrille flats on repeat.

Best summer movies of 2017…
Wonder Woman, Girl's Trip, and Atomic Blonde.

Summer song, 2017…
This was really hard! I'm gonna have to say Slide by Calvin Harris & Frank Ocean because I crank the volume up whenever I hear it.

The best thing about summer 2017…
The eclipse, oh my goodness, the eclipse! I can't wait to see it. According to NASA, we'll have 98% totality in my town, but my husband and I are taking a little romantic getaway to Helen, GA, where they'll have 100% totality. 

Summer reading…
I've been so busy editing my new book of flash fiction that I haven't had too much time to read! But I've dipped in and out of The Princess Bride; I've forgotten how much fun that book is to read, so it's been fun to read a few pages before I go to sleep. Shameless plug alert: if you'd like to know when my book comes out, subscribe to my monthly newsletter! I do a giveaway each month that is ONLY for subscribers...last month was a $25 Amazon gift card!)

What are your summer evenings like?

How about you? What do you do on these summer nights? Tell me about it in the comments below for a chance to win a copy of the Bella Grace Field Guide to Everyday Magic! Comments close at 10p.m. EST on August 30th. Winner announced here on the blog on August 31.

Oh, and while you’re at it, my lovelies, check out the other articles in this month’s Bella Grace Blog Hop!